What Makes Her Smile
by TaintedLetter
Summary: All she wanted was to be left alone, but Luffy was having none of that. After a mishap involving a meat bone and a shot glass, she ended up on the wrong ship, she ended up on the Merry. And Tay knew at that moment, she was going to contract the most severe case of Stockholm Syndrome the world has ever seen. ZoroxOC
1. A Bone to Pick

**So, after 3 complete rewrites, I bring you this.**

* * *

Bristle Beach. An island full of sunny beaches, exotic shops, and a plethora of bars.

This is where the Straw Hat Crew are currently docked.

After a day relaxing by the sandy shore and an evening shopping for necessities and pleasure, they all currently resided within one of the islands many bars. Within the bars oaken walls they drank their fill and ate to their hearts content. Their table was covered in full platters of food and mugs of rum, while empty plates and glasses littered the floor around them in stacks.

Luffy was currently stuffing his face, cheeks expanded like a hamster, barely allowing himself room to breath. Food was sliding down his gullet at an alarming rate, quickly making his stomach expand quite noticeably. His arms occasionally stretched towards his friends plates, only to be stopped by a fork or a knife aimed at his extended digits. Pausing only for a moment, he reached a hand down his throat and pulled out a bone he accidentally ingested along with his food. After he threw it over his shoulder he continued to inhale the food in front of him.

Ussop, the weaver of tall tales. He was currently telling Chopper about the time he wrestled with a Fishman blindfolded and defeated him on Nami's home island. And then how he rescued an incapacitated Luffy from drowning soon after, thus saving his life. Chopper was amazed. He has never known anyone to be as brave as Ussop. He was begging Ussop to tell him more stories of his heroic endeavors, to which Ussop happily complied.

Nami was currently sulking while simultaneously eating her food and fending off Luffy's wandering hand. While she was glad she was able to go clothes shopping and buy some more map quality paper, she was irritated at how much money the crew had spent in one day on this island. Ignoring the money that went towards buying food and alcohol for the store room on the ship, there was the money lost buying gunpowder and supplies for Ussop, new kitchen knifes for Sanji, and about a dozen books split between Robin and Chopper. And then with the amount of money spent in this bar, Nami calculated that they would only have a few thousand Berri left. While she tells her friends they all have to pay her back three times the amount they spent, she knows she won't get a single Berri back. She sighed in defeat as she stabbed her fork into Luffys hand for the umpteenth time that night; and so continues their life of poverty.

Zoro and Sanji were currently in a heated name calling match. Marimo this and dart board brow that. Lightning was flaring between their eyes. The argument started when Zoro called Sanji a love struck fool; he had been previously trying in vain to cheer Nami up with the promise of dessert later on the ship. Then names started flying left and right. At this rate swords and kicks would be flying in five minutes.

And then there was Robin. Finished with her plate she was currently sipping her drink, slightly smiling at the crews antics around her. She was glad she joined this crew. She found them ever so amusing. Her eyes raised towards the bar door as it opened. She was the only one to notice, the others were to occupied to notice such a little thing.

In walked a girl who made a beeline straight for the bar. The bartender looked at her for a second and asked her a question that Robin could not hear due to the ruckus at her own table.

"Dammit, I'm 17! Give me my alcohol!"

Robin had to smile at that, the bartender must of asked if she was old enough to drink. The girl looked a few years younger then 17, but the sound of her voice matched her designated age. The bartender filled up a shot glass and put down the bottle and the shot in front of the girl. She downed the shot without even flinching at the taste, then picked up the bottle and started drinking straight from it. The bartender talked to her for a bit when she suddenly put her palm flat on the bar top. After a second she removed her hand and there was a small pile of coins on the table. The bartender then took the coins and put it in his apron pocket, most likely to put in the safe later.

Now that was interesting. Robin didn't remember her pulling anything out of her pockets. As she looked closer, Robin noticed that the girl had no pockets. She was wearing what looked like brand new clothes, Robin recognized the knee length black pants she was wearing. She had seen the same kind at one of the stores on the island. But the sandals she was wearing looked like they had seen better days.

Robin was momentarily distracted by Luffy reaching into his mouth to fish out yet another bone. Gagging slightly, he pulled it out and threw it over his shoulder without looking to where he was aiming. The bone spun through the air and was heading directly for the back of the girl's head. But instead of an impact like Robin expected, the bone went right through her head and hit some bottles on a shelf behind the bar, shattering at least three bottles of very expensive looking vodka.

It got deathly quiet in the bar. Heads from all tables turned to look at Luffy, who was still stuffing his face, not even realizing what he had just accidentally done. The commotion at their own table has ceased. Every member of the Straw Hat Pirates was currently looking at their captain, except for Ussop who was looking at the girl. He must of seen the bone go through her head from the peripheral of his vision. His eyes were wide and his mouth open, he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

The girl at the bar had turned around too. All Robin noticed about her facial before she noticed the bartender stalking angrily towards their table was a scar beneath the girls eye. A thin black scar ran from the bottom of her right eye straight down and off her face. Robin didn't know why, but she looked vaguely familiar.

"That was 11 thousand Berri worth of vodka you just broke punk", the bartender roared at Luffy, who had finally taken notice of the man behind him.

"I did?", Luffy questioned after swallowing a mouthful of food, lips twisted in a frown.

"YOU BROKE 3 OF MY MOST EXPENSIVE BOTTLES", the bartender continued to shout at Luffy, the force of the shout blowing his hair back.

"Oh, sorry about that old guy", Luffy then turned to Nami, "Nami can pay for it, right?"

While Luffy looked expectantly at Nami with a wide grin, the red head shook herself out of her depression and was currently boiling with anger.

"NO YOU IDIOT! AFTER PAYING FOR ALL THE FOOD YOU ATE WE DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY LEFT!"

"Is that so?", the bartender slowly asked, still glaring at Luffy, "well, I have a way for you to pay off the damages. You will be dishwasher at my bar kid, for as long as I deem necessary"

Luffy's face fell dramatically as he turned back to the bartender. He sure hasn't forgotten the time he spent as a bus boy on the Baratie. Nami's face was also distressed. The Log Pose would start pointing at the next island sometime tomorrow night. They couldn't afford the time it would take Luffy to work off 11 thousand Berri.

"Oi! Bartender! I need another bottle!"

The bartender and the crew all turned to look at the owner of the voice, which belonged to the girl sitting at the bar. Her green eyes were narrowed and her mouth was twisted in a scowl. She was currently waving the empty bottle in the direction of the bartender. Said bartender turned to look back at her.

"I'm in the middle of something here!", he angrily spat to her. She just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"I can obviously see and hear that, I'm not deaf or blind. But in case you haven't noticed, I am a paying customer. And this paying customer needs another fucking bottle. So why don't you throw that little shit you're yelling at into the kitchen already and get me another fucking drink!", for emphasis she slammed the empty bottle on to the bar top. But she didn't stop there. She picked up the empty shot glass in her right hand and started yelling at Luffy.

"And you!", she pointed at Luffy with her unoccupied hand, "that bone was aimed right at the back of my head! What the hell is your problem?!

Luffy looked at her with a confused expression for a second before he replied, "but you dodged, right? So it's-"

He was promptly cut off by the shot glass hitting him in the middle of his forehead. Since he is made of rubber, it didn't hurt him, it just bounced off. His confused expression then melted into comedic anger.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"FOR BEING A FUCKING IDIOT", she shot back angrily. She then closed her eyes and sighed, forefinger and thumb pressing onto her eye lids, a light grimace plastered over her face. She turned back to the bar and rested her forehead on her hand, mumbling something about being surrounded by morons.

Before Luffy could retort, he was lifted up by the back of his shirt by the bartender and was carried towards the kitchen door. His frantic protests were ignored. He was pushed through the door before the bartender walked behind the bar and got out a bottle of what ever the girl was drinking before and set it down in front of her.

"On second thought, make that a double order"

The bartender glared at her before putting a second bottle down on the counter. He then walked through the kitchen door, ready to start putting that straw hat wearing kid to work.

Silence filled the table of the Straw Hat Crew for only a few moments before they started discussing what just happened. Around them the other tables were beginning to go back to what they were talking about before the bottles broke.

Nami was the first to speak her mind. She couldn't care less about the spat between Luffy and the sandy haired girl at the bar. All she cared about was the troubling predicament Luffy landed them in.

"The Log Pose should start pointing at the next island sometime tomorrow night. We can't be wasting time on this island waiting for Luffy to work off this much money. I say we just grab him and hide on the ship until the Log sets"

"Oh Nami-Swan, that is an excellent idea! You always know just what to do!", Sanji gushed to Nami, hands clasped against his chin and his eye blown up in to a pink heart.

Zoro rolled his eyes at Nami's suggestion and Sanji's idiotic approval.

"Lets just wait an hour or two. The bartender will find out pretty quickly that Luffy will just end up breaking all of his plates"

Right on cue, they heard the sound of shattering plates from behind the kitchen door, followed by some angry shouting.

"Yeah", Nami agreed, "you're right", she crossed her arms and frowned, "but I am still mad at him for breaking the bottles in the first place. We would of been better off if that girl didn't dodge-"

Ussop slammed his hands on the table so forcefully that the sound alone cut Nami off. He was hunched over the table, his arms supporting most of his weight. Everyone was looking at him expectantly, wondering what would cause him to act out like that.

"Here's the thing guys. She didn't dodge it, _it went right through her head"_, he paused for half a second to let that bit of information sink in, then stood up fully and crossed his arms, "and I believe that there is only one logical explanation for that. She's a ghost"

"AHHH!", Chopper yelled, his eyes nearly popping out of his head, "SHE'S A GHOST?!", he turned around to look at the girl with a frightened expression on his face. She was currently laying her head in her arms, three empty bottles of vodka to her right.

"Or", Robin politely interjected with a small smile, "she has eaten a devil fruit"

"Oh, so she's not a ghost? That's good", Chopper turned to Robin, sighing in relief, completely calming down.

"Wait", Nami turned her head to face Robin, "so if the bone didn't go through her head, but actually hit her, we wouldn't be dealing with Luffy being held captive in the kitchen?", she then turned her head towards the bar, now interested in the girl, "then it's her fault we are 11 thousand in debt", She frowned in irritation, then put a convincing fake smile on her face and stood up. She then started to walk over to the bar.

"Is she really going to try to convince that girl to pay the Berri we owe? I thought we were just going to wait until the bartender kicked Luffy out of the kitchen", Ussop asked dumbfounded.

"It looks like she is Mr. Longnose. But haven't you noticed, it has been very quiet in the kitchen.", Robin replied. And so it has. They briefly wondered what task Luffy was given that didn't involve him inadvertently breaking stuff.

"But devil fruit users are very strong. What if she hurts Nami?", Chopper voiced his concern.

"She does seem to have an anger management problem", Zoro stated, then finished off his mug of rum, "and she looks too out of it anyways. She doesn't even seem to notice that Nami is right next to her"

They all looked up towards the bar, where Nami was standing next to the girl, who looked like she had passed out.

* * *

She could feel the vodka working it's magic, gifting her with a blissful buzz and a cloudy mind. Just half a bottle more and she would finally be drunk. She just needed to wait for the bartender to return to his proper station behind the bar. Then she could buy another bottle and be void of all her thoughts. The only downside to this was the burning in her throat caused by the alcohol. In the mean time, the cold surface of the bar felt ever so divine against her flushed cheek.

Then there was a shadow blocking the lights above her. Cracking open one eye she saw a ginger woman standing above her, bearing a smile too warm to be genuine. Closing her eye she deeply sighed. If she was correct, and she highly doubted she was wrong, this woman was sitting to the left of that idiotic straw hat wearing fool. This woman was either going to:

A) Yell at her for throwing the shot glass at her friend

B) Try to convince her that it was her fault their friend got in trouble, and insist that she pay the Berri they now owed the bar

Or C) A combination of A and B

Since this orangette was obviously waiting to be verbally acknowledged, she decided to say the only words that currently came to mind.

"What the fuck to you want?"

The woman over her leaned in closer, resting her elbow on the bar and her head in her hand. That insincere smile still on her face.

"Hi. So, what's your name? Mine's Nami" Like the woman really cared what her name was. But she replied nonetheless.

"Tay"

"You know", she continued,"If you hadn't dodged the bone my friend accidently threw your way, those bottles never would of broken. So it is technically your fault we have to pay so much money. So if you would be ever so kind enough to cough up 11 thousand Berri that would be fantastic"

Looks like her answer is B.

The woman had a look on her face that said if this shitty little speech didn't work, she would try threatening her in to paying the money. Ha. As if a threat would make her even blink. And was she trying to dazzle he with charm in order to get her to cooperate? Tay sat up and rested her chin on her hand, giving this 'Nami' a once over. She liked to personalize her insults.

The woman in front of her had large breasts and was wearing a bikini top and a mini skirt, a Log Pose and a golden bangle on her left wrist. The Log on her wrist told her that this woman was a navigator and that the people she was sitting with was her crew. And frankly, she was dressed like a hooker. And Tay knew exactly what to say to voice that fact.

"Why don't you go make the money for your crew at some street corner. You are certainly dressed for the part"

Nami's eyes widened and her mouth kept opening and closing, at a complete loss for words. Out of the peripheral of her vision, Tay could see the rest of Nami's friends turn in her direction. Ok, maybe she was a little drunk, she had said that much louder then she had intended. She could see a tall, skinny blond man smoking a cigarette stand up and start walking in her direction, most likely coming to the ginger's aid. As he walked closer, Tay could feel the putrid stench of tobacco invade her nostrils and throat. Her allergies and asthma were working in perfect rhythm with each other, simultaneously burning the inner workings of her nose, tightening her throat and constricting her breath. She suddenly gave an involuntary cough. The man was now standing next to the ginger woman, who still seemed so aghast at her previous statement.

The man was opening his mouth, no doubt about to rebute her hooker accusation, accursed cigarette hanging from his lips. Before he even _began _to speak, she had to get rid of that wretched thing, her ability to breath depended on it. She reached up and plucked it out of his mouth and promptly dropped it on the floor, using the heel of her sandal to put out the embers. Now _his_ mouth was open in surprise.

These people were violently killing her buzz, rapidly sobering her up. She would need more then half a bottle of vodka to get her drunk now.

He made a motion as if about to speak, most likely to ask why she just ground his cigarette in to the ground. As if it wasn't obvious by her actions that she hated cigarettes.

She did not want to deal with these people anymore.

It was time to go visit another bar.

But first she had to get away from these idiots.

"Listen stringbean, before any half-assed excuse as to why this woman in front of me does _not_ resemble a whore comes out of your mouth, let me tell you that I don't give a shit about what you say and what you think-"

The kitchen door was kicked open from the inside, and out walked a grumbling Luffy. He was wearing a white apron and a white hair-net, his signature straw hat was resting over his shoulders, carrying a bucket full of soapy water in one hand and a brush in the other. The bartender followed him, arms crossed and a stern expression on his face.

"The bar is going to be closing soon punk. And by then I want to see at least half of the floor sparkling, got that?"

Luffy sighed and replied with a solemn, "yes sir", and began to scrub the floors near the back of the bar. The bartender then looked around the bar, and upon noticing that no one needing another drink, rested his eyes on Tay.

"Do you need another bottle?"

After staring at the bartender for a second, Tay sighed, running a hand down her face, "no, I'm good"

"I still need the 4 thousand Berri for the two extra bottles", yes, yes he did. Tay put her palm flat on the counter, and when she removed it there were eight 500 Berri coins in a little mound. Seeing the money seeming appear from no where, Nami turned her eyes back to Tay, wearing a small confused frown. She had two thoughts on her mind: where did the money come from and did she have enough to pay for the broken bottles.

Satisfied with her money, he took it and put it in his pocket, then walked back in to the kitchen, most likely to clean up the mess that Luffy made in there.

Seeing as how the bartender was no longer in sight, Luffy loudly whined over to his crew that was still sitting down at the table, "hey guys, can you help me clean this floor? This is going to take foreverrrr"

"Sorry Captain, but you're the one being punished, not us", Robin replied with an amused smile. Then Luffy noticed that there were two members of his crew missing from the table. He quickly spotted them by the girl that threw the shot glass at him. She was currently sitting at the bar, her palms pressed into her eyes, a large grimace gracing her features. Nami looked like she wanted to strangle the girl. And Sanji was currently telling Nami with a smile that she looks lovely, and does not look like a prostitute.

"Look here kid", Nami started in a comanding tone, her rage evident from her voice, "first of all, I do _not_ dress like a whore. If you had the assists like I did, I bet you would show them off too", Nami gestured to Tay's small chest, barely even an A-cup. This statement caused Tay to turn and glare at her. Even if she had the 'assists', she would never dress so provocatively. And how fucking dare her call her a kid, "and who is the one wearing a sheer top? You. Nothing screams 'I'm a whore' more then sheer", Tay wouldn't give the woman the satisfaction of looking down at her own clothes. She was wearing a black tank top that exposed her stomach, and a translucent black sheer shirt. The sheer shirt had loose sleeves and was loose on her figure, the bottom reaching just below her hips. At the bottom of the shirt and sleeves were thick bands of white, cutting a contrast to all of the black on her figure. To be honest, she just bought it because she thought it looked cool.

Sanji was behind Nami, watching her yell at the younger girl, who looked like she was 14 or 15, to young to be out drinking. The legal age was 16. Sanji let it slide for Chopper because he was a pirate, but young girls should not be out drinking. He got out another cigarette from his pocket and lit it. While he didn't like the fact that this girl basically called Nami a whore, he would not yell at her. He did not yell at ladies. He took a deep drag on the cigarette. Tay then noticed the pungent stench of the burning tobacco and turned towards Sanji, irritation evident in her eyes. Ignoring Nami she stood up, a good two inches shorter then the orange haired woman beside her.

"You would think", Tay began, roughly grabbing the newly lit cigarette from between Sanji's teeth, "that you would of figured out by my actions the first time I took your cigarette, that I don't like them. In fact, I am allergic to them, and I don't want my throat to swell shut just because you can't resist getting your fix", she dropped it on the ground and ground it in with her heel, making her dirty sandals even filthier.

Now fully sober, Tay realized that these idiots were not worth her time, nor her breath. She quickly decided that the best way to get them off her back was to cough up 11 thousand Berri that she in no way owed them. Then she could leave, hopefully find another bar that wasn't closed already, and do what she has been trying to do all night, get drunk. She looked over at the idiot scrubing the floor unevenly in the back of the bar. That kid was going to be getting a lucky break tonight. She turned back to the ginger, who looked pissed that she was being ignored. Tay knew what would keep her mouth shut. She slammed her palm on the bar top and removed it. There were eleven 1000 Berri bills on the counter, neatly stacked. Nami's expression quickly turned to one of shock, not realizing what changed Tay's mind.

"Here's your money. Now leave me the fuck alone", Tay said to her, tired expression written all over her face. Maybe she would just go to her room at the inn. She didn't think she had it in her to suffer through another vile bottle of alcohol. The only reason she was drinking was because it was the two year anniversary of _that_ day. Besides, it was a big day tomorrow. She finally found a ship heading towards the beginning of the Grand Line, which is quite a rare occurrence. She needs to be in tip top shape, and a hangover would only addle her mind.

She turned and walked away from the duo, not even pausing when the orange haired woman suddenly blurted out a confused "thank you", she just kept on walking, and walked right through the closed bar door.

* * *

"So she just gave you the Berri?", Luffy asked Nami excitedly. He was practically jumping up and down on his seat in happiness; now he wouldn't have to finish scrubbing the floors. It was excruciatingly boring.

The whole crew was sitting back down at the table, the bills stacked in front of Nami. Sanji had lit up a new cigarette and Luffy had taken off the ridiculous hair net and replaced it with his straw hat.

"Yeah", Nami replied, "but she looked like she really didn't want to. It seemed like she just got tired of the argument and wanted to leave"

"Probably because she didn't want to be around lover boy and his cigarettes", Zoro stated bluntly, looking over in Sanji's direction.

"How was I supposed to know she was allergic, shitty swordsman?" Sanji rebutted, irritated at being accused of driving a lady off. It was never like he would purposely do something to irritate a woman.

"Well, the fact that she pulled it from your mouth and stomped on it seemed pretty straight forward to me, ero-cook"

Both men were glaring at each other, so they didn't see it coming when Nami whacked them both on the head.

"Did the money really just come out of her hand Nami?" Chopper asked curiously.

"Yep. She just slapped her hand on the counter and there was the money"

"Wow", Luffy said, "that was really nice of her", he then turned to Nami, "and you were very rude to her Nami", he accused, shaking a finger at her, "you should go find her and apologize"

Nami couldn't believe it; she was being scolded by this idiot.

"She chucked a shot glass at you Luffy"

"But I threw a bone at her, so it was pretty much called for"

Nami sighed dramically, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. There was no arguing with him.

"Do you know what kind of devil fruit user she is Robin?", Ussop asked, "I can't think of a fruit that would allow her to make money magically appear out of her hands and let her walk through walls"

"I don't think it's just appearing out of her hand, but I will have a look in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia to see if I can figure out which one she has eaten if you're really that curious"

Then out of no where, the bartender shows up behind Luffy, arms crossed and mouth twisted in a scowl.

"Why the _hell_ are you not scrubbing the floors punk?", he said in a dangerous tone to Luffy. He looked like he was ready to throttle the boy.

"Oh, hey old guy. We have the money, so I don't have to scrub the floors, right?"

"Really? And where is this money?", His voice filled with disbelief.

Luffy grabbed the bills off the table and handed them up to the bartender. He swiped them out of Luffy's hands and quickly counted them, and nodded when he counted the correct amount.

"Good, you're terrible at scrubbing boy", he looked over his shoulder at the unevenly cleaned corner, "now I can kick you out of here. Take off that apron and leave kids, it's closing time.

* * *

The crew was about half way back to the ship, which was docked away from the town. Chopper had fallen asleep and was now being carried by Zoro. Ussop, Sanji and Luffy were yawning away, fantasizing about going to sleep. Nami and Robin took up the rear.

Luffy stopped and turned around, looking at Robin with shimmering eyes, suddenly remembering something he wanted to say before the Bartender came over to the table.

"Did you say she was a devil fruit user?", he asked with a large, splitting grin. Nami's heart plummeted. She recognized that look in his eyes. She started walking towards Luffy with an angry look on her face.

"No Luffy. NO. I know what you're thinking, and I am _begging_ you, no. You are not going to ask her to join our crew. She is rude, obviously has anger issues, and-"

"Nami, she was nice enough to give us money, right? I'd still be at the bar scrubbing that stupid floor if she hadn't done that. And how cool would it be to have another devil fruit user as our Nakama?"

Nami started strangling the rubber man with all her rage.

"I DON'T CARE HOW COOL IT WOULD BE TO HAVE ANOTHER USER ON THE CREW!", she shouted, "WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HER"

"If she's nice, I'll let her join my crew", Luffy stated confidently, as if Tay would be honored to be a member of his crew.

"Luffy", Ussop began, "Do you really think that after what we saw today, she would willingly join us? She clearly just gave us the money because she was getting sick of listening to Nami-"

Thump. Fist right to the back of the head.

"You should listen to Ussop, Luffy", Nami agreed, Ussop was in the background with a large bump on the back of his head, giving a thumbs up at Nami's comment, "she clearly didn't like either me or Sanji. What makes you think she will like the rest of us? What makes you think she will even be able to stand _you_?"

"She gave us the money-"

Ussop and Nami both slapped the back of his head while Robin chuckled behind them.

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING", they both yelled.

"You know Ms. Navigator", Robin began, "it is possible she was only rude to you because you were sitting at the same table as our captain. Remember, he did throw that bone at her, though accidently. She also most likely didn't think she was responsible for the broken bottles, which caused her to lash out. And I have to agree with her there"

"Don't take her side Robin", Nami whined, shoulders slumped, not liking the logic behind her words.

"And Luffy has wanted people to join for less. Like how he wanted Chopper to be our Nakama just because he was a talking animal", Ussop stated matter-of-factually.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE ON MY SIDE", Nami roared at Ussop, causing him to shrink back in fear.

"I-I was just s-saying" Ussop meekly said, shrinking at Nami's anger.

"Would you guys shut up already. We're at the ship", and so they were.

"Don't tell Nami to shut up, you shit swordsman"

"Why don't you shut up too, stringbean"

Sanji frowned. Zoro obviously caught on to what Tay was implying with that insulting nickname. That he looked tall, thin and easy to break.

And Zoro found it hi-larious.

One by one, everybody climbed down the ladder leading to under the deck, and filed into their rooms. The guys all jumped into their hammocks, while Zoro layed Chopper in his hammock then layed on the couch himself. Conversation quickly stopped as the boys all fell asleep.

The girls were in their room getting ready for bed. While Nami was slipping a loose t-shirt over her thin frame, Robin grabbed the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia off the bookshelf.

"Are you going to see if you can figure out which fruit she ate?", Nami asked her, getting under the covers. She had since simmered down from the conversation they all had on the way back to the ship.

Robin got into her bed and proped herself up with some pillows, opening up the book to the beginning of the Paramecia section, "Yes. I am curious. She's obviously not a Zoan, and I'm not sure if she is a Logia. So I'm starting in the Paramecia section to see if I can find a fruit that describes abilities similar to hers. If I can't find one there, I might skim the Logia section"

"Hmm, ok Robin", Nami yawned, closing her eyes, "don't forget to turn off the lamp when you're done"

Robin chuckled slightly, "don't worry, I won't"

* * *

Tay looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Eyes bloodshot, cheeks flushed red. She couldn't keep herself from getting some vodka at another bar. She preferred vodka to other liqueurs for its high alcohol content and lack of the vile flavor that accompanied other drinks. Plus, it was the only thing that could actually make her drunk.

She filled a glass with water and drunk as much as she could, knowing the liquid would help flush the alcohol out of her liver, reducing her chance of having a hangover when she woke up.

She looked back at her reflection, eyes scanning her profile.

Her sandy blond hair was tied back in a low hanging ponytail, tied right at the base of her neck. The strands reaching half way down her back. Her bangs were long, gracing just below her collar bone, the inner strands curving slightly inward to frame her face. Jaded eyes seemed to glow against her bloodshot eye whites, pupils dilated in her drunken state. Her face stained red from the vodka, from her forehead to her slightly pointed chin.

And yet the black scar running down her face was what her eyes were drawn to.

She bared her teeth and glared at her reflection. Tay hated how vunerable she looked, how weak the scar on her face made her seem. She didn't even realize she punched the mirror until she heard the sound of shattering cut through her drunken fog. Now with nothing to view her reflection in, she turned her attention to her fist. The glass shards had just fallen through her hand, not leaving any mark.

Despite its shortcomings, she loved her devil fruit abilities. They made her strong, unlike what her appearances suggested.

She then noticed the damage she had caused to the inns bathroom mirror. Welp, she would pay for it at the front dest when she checked out in the morning. In the mean time...

Tay walked through the broken mirror and the wall it hung on and ended up in the bedroom. Tay never felt anything when objects and people passed through her. She allowed her clothes to disappear from her tiny frame in wisps of grey, then plopped into the bed.

All she could do now is sleep.


	2. When Words Don't Match Actions

**Reviews are much appreciated, they let me know that you are enjoying the story so far and makes me want to work harder to crank these out even faster.**

* * *

"Are you going to buy a fruit or not kid? You've been hovering around my stand for ten minutes"

It was a little after two, and Tay was craving her favorite fruit. Since this island had no shortage of fruit stands, she had no problem finding one quickly. But all of the peaches looked so good. And the guy running the stall was _so_ rude. He has scared off four other customers since she got here. Not wanting to give this rude man money, Tay decided she should steal the peaches instead. Besides, she hated to be called 'kid'.

The peach display was angled away from the rude stall owner, allowing her to steal the peaches easily without his knowledge. To him it would seem like she was just running her fingers over the peaches. Her fingers danced, touching the shadows of the sweet fruits. They one by one disappeared in wisps of grey. But not all in one area, no, that would be too noticeable. One here and one there, soon she had gathered a dozen peaches.

"Get your grubby fingers off of my peaches and get out of here. I do not tolerate people touching my fruit who don't intend to buy them. Now SCRAM"

Rolling her eyes, Tay turned and walked away, wearing the smallest of smirks. She was planning on eating one of the peaches just a few stalls away, but then something happened that she has been waiting to happen for awhile: one of her sandals broke. While she was in mid stride, the sandal on her back foot snapped, causing said foot to slip sideways, putting her dangerously off balance. Her heart stopped for a sec, feeling her body start to fall sideways, but she managed to twist her body in a way that kept her on two feet. With her legs much too far apart from each other to be comfortable.

Eyes wide, Tay snapped her legs closed and got in a crouching fetal position, her inner thighs throbbing with pain. People who didn't see her spectacular save looked at her like she was crazy, kneeling in the middle of the street. And she swore she heard someone laugh at her attempt to steady herself. Her hamstrings were not designed to be stretched that much. She straightened up after a few heartbeats and picked up her broken sandal, bearing through the agony.

Taking off her other sandal, she swore under her breath, "fucking sandals. Fucking sandals, Fucking sandals"

Quickly spotting a garbage can, she walked towards it barefoot. She let the bottoms of her feet change into shade, causing her shadow to shrink just a hair. Now the scorching road wouldn't burn or scratch the bottoms of her feet. Now, first things first, She had to buy new shoes. Looking around, she spotted what looked like a shoe shop in the distance. That was quite convenient.

The shoe shop was in an actual building, unlike most of the shops that were only stalls. And for good reason too; this place was packed with shoes of varying styles and color. All this would never fit in a measly stall. She shouldn't have a problem finding something that fits. Sandals are out, she did not want to have them eventually break and make her almost do the splits again. Nothing with heels, she will quickly lose her balance walking in those things and break her ankle. Boots then, she'll get boots.

She found a shelf filled with boots of varying styles in the back. To her immense disappointment, the boots cut for females all had obnoxiously high heels. Sighing dramatically, she threw her arms up in exasperation. This was ridiculous. And then the owner of the shoe store came up behind her, "can I help you with something miss?"

Tay turned around and looked up at the man who spoke, "yes. Do you have any boots that don't have high heels?"

The store owner looked at her blankly for a second before he replied, "yeah, we do. But they are all mens sizes. Boots with heels are on the rage this season, so that's why all I have are heeled boots. I take it you're one of those girls that can't walk in heels, am I correct?", Tay nodded her head once, prompting the man to continue, "Your feet are small", he stated, looking down at her bare feet, "but I think I have some mens boots that will fit you some where in the back, if you really want boots that don't have high heels"

"Yes, that would be great sir", Tay answered, sure to show respect for the man that was going out of his way to help her.

With a nod and a grin he said, "follow me and we will see if any fit you"

He started walking to the left and Tay quietly followed him. She was pleased; it's rare to find good customer service on shopping islands, despite what one may think. They walked through a door to a room in the back, and the man gestured for her to sit on a stool while he rummaged through some boots on a shelf.

"So", he started, trying to make some light conversation, still digging around for boots that might fit her feet, "I take it you want black boots on account of your attire? Is black your favorite color or something?"

Tay looked down at herself, taking in all of the black she was wearing. She shifted in her seat, refraining herself from mentioning that black was not a color, but a shade, "no. I just don't like the way color looks on me, which limits me to wearing white, grey and black", she easily lied through her teeth.

"Pity", the shop owner said, bringing over three pairs of boots for her to try on, "you would look great in green"

She's gotten that one a lot. He put the pairs of shoes on a short table next to her and asked her if she needed some socks to try on the boots. Tay said yes, and he went off to the front of the store to get some for her. She had since released the shade on the bottom of her feet, returning them to their natural pale color. The store was carpeted, so there was no need to protect her feet. She then began to examine the shoes that were layed out before her.

The first pair of boots were just plain black and had a very shiny exterior.

The second pair were black with a white stripe at the top. That's a nice touch. It would match her sheer shirt.

The last pair was quite odd; the boots were plain black and would go a third of the way up her calf, unlike the other two which would go up half way, and the bottom of the boot had spikes on it. She picked one of the spiked boots up and turned it over, examining the spikes. Each spike was about one inch long, and looked sharp.

"I see you have an interest in the cleated boots"

Tay looked up from the boot to see that the shop owner had reentered that back room, a pair of socks in his hands. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly at the word cleated.

"That's what these are called?", she put the boot right back next to its twin.

"Yes. They are worn by people, primarily pirates, who want to add some power to their kicks, and add some points to their intimidation. I don't think these are right for you miss", he handed her the socks, which she took out of his hand, "I will be in the front if you need anything"

After he walked back to the front, Tay put on the socks and started trying on the boots. The shiny black pair were slightly too big; she hasn't grown in years, so she highly doubted that she will ever grow into them. The black boots with the white line were too tight, to the point where she knew time would not break them in. That was a disappointment. She liked them. All that was left were the cleated boots. Tay easily slipped them on. They fit perfectly. But would she be able to walk with the spikes?

She put her feet on the ground and stood up. These easily added an inch to her hight. But when she tried walking she realized that the spikes were caught in the carpet. These things were sharp enough to already be ensnarled in the plush covering. She paused for a beat to think of what do do next. Should she yank them out of the carpet? Or just not buy them?

Nah.

Tay had a better idea.

She allowed the spikes to sink into her shadow, all the way up to the bottom of the boots. She then proceeded to walked around the room. As her feet lifted up to take a step, the spikes emerged, but then sunk back into her shadow when her foot came back down. Yes, this will work quite nicely, but sadly she wouldn't get the added height the spikes would of given her. This would also ensure that the spikes stayed razor sharp longer. She walked back to the front room of the store and spotted the store owner sitting behind a counter reading a book, waiting either for her or for another customer to walk in. Tay proceeded to walk towards the counter, her foot falls drawing the attention of the man away from his book.

"So miss, which ones did you decide to buy?", Tay lifted up one foot, exposing the spikes to the store owner, to which he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Ok, miss, if you're sure. That will be 2 thousand Berri. I'll throw in the socks for free"

Now that's nice. During her three months on this island, Tay had gone to countless restaurants and shops, she has only encounted one person who has been genuinely kind to her: the man right in front of her. This deserved some type of reward.

Tay turned her palm face up, but instead of two 1 thousand Berri bills appearing in her palm, a golden cross adorn with rubies materialized in wisps of shade, just slightly larger then her hand. She put it on the counter, ignoring the mans shocked expression at seeing gold 'magically' appear in her palm.

Tay then proceeded to walk towards the door, nonchalantly saying, "keep the change"

she then continued to walk back onto the busy street. She never got his name, she never gave hers. But after today she would be off this island, heading towards the beginning of the Grand Line, never to set foot on this island again. So it didn't matter. Did it even matter to begin with?

About five stores down from the shoe store, Tay spotted the same ginger woman and boy wearing a straw hat that she saw at the bar the other night. And they were walking, or in the case of the straw hat wearing fool, sprinting towards her. She spun 180 degrees on her heel and continued walking the way she just came, cringing slightly when she heard him call out her name.

"OI! TAY! WAIT UP!"

The only way he could possibly know her name was from the ginger woman walking towards them at her own pace, arms crossed under her breast and frown on her face. The name which Tay foolishly gave out without thinking, which was not like her at all. Curse the damn vodka.

"I'M SORRY FOR THROWING THAT BONE AT YOU LAST NIGHT!"

She ignored him, but after a few seconds he was in front of her, big stupid toothy grin on his face. He opened his mouth to say something more, but she just walked right through him, effectively stopping him from uttering a single word. Things are always cooler in the shade, and with her it was no different. Though she didn't feel anything, living beings do. They experience a chill 20 degrees cooler then the current air temperature. It was around 74 degrees today, which ment Straw Hat here just got chilled to the bone with 54 degrees, making him shiver. But unfortunately, the coolness only lasts as long as she is in contact with the person. Meaning that right after she walked through him, he was perfectly fine.

Tay continued walking, hoping in vain that the boy would just go away. After a few beats she had the urge to look down. What she saw was a hand going back and forth through her stomach.

When she says she doesn't feel anything, she means it. She wouldn't of noticed if she hadn't looked down.

"Oooo", he said in awe, hand still furiously being waved back and forth, walking in pace with the blond in front of him. Tay was quickly getting angry at the guy behind her. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off before she could utter a sound.

"This is so awesome! What type of devil fruit did you eat?", Tay was now at an impass. If she didn't tell him, and just ignored him, she knew he would continue to bother her. If she did tell him what type of fruit she ate, she would be bombarded with questions for an indefinent amount of time. She could lie, but she couldn't think of a Paramecia fruit off the top of her head that lets objects pass right through the user. While she had some time to kill until it was time to catch her ride tonight, she wasn't sure she could control her anger around this guy for long.

"Lga", Tay mumbled through clenched teeth, already regretting committing herself to this conversation by acknowledging him.

"Huh?", Straw Hat asked, now walking next to her. He stood about 3 and a half inches taller then her, making her feel short and vunerable. How she loathed that feeling.

"I'm a Logia", Tay sighed. Though her eyes were closed she knew that Straw Hat had that goofy grin on his face. She stopped walking and looked at Straw Hat through narrowed eyes. Why was he bothering her? He already apologized. Was he waiting for her to say 'It's fine, don't worry about it'? Because she's not going to.

"Wow!", Straw Hat said in amazement, eyes shimmering in wonder, "now you have to join!", Tay had no freakin' idea what this silly man was talking about.

"What do you want Straw Hat?"

"I want to see if you are a nice guy. If you are, I'll let you join my crew. I already think you are nice for paying for the bottles I broke last night, but Nami wants more proof that you are a nice person. And now I know that you're a Logia, which makes me want you for my Nakama even more", now this baffled Tay for two reasons. This idiot is the captain for the group of people he was with last night, and he wanted her to join his crew. And why did he word it like she _wanted_ to join his crew? Also, did they just let anyone be a captain now a days? This man seemed too stupid to be captain of anything, and most likely had no idea what being a captain entails. If anything he's just playing captain while his crew does all the dirty work.

"Why in the world would you want me to join your crew? And for the record, I am anything but nice-", at that moment, the owner of the shoe store she was just at came up to her, golden cross in his hand.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but this is just too generous of a payment. I feel terrible accepting it", he held out the cross, waiting for her to take it. Straw Hat was giving her a look, a look that ment she had been caught in the act of being a '_good guy_'. Nami had since caught up to them, an upon hearing what the store owner said to Tay and seeing the ruby embedded gold cross in the mans hands, looked up at Tay in shock. Nami was wondering why the bitch who called her a whore last night gave gold to a shop keeper.

"I told you sir", Tay began, hating that the idiot and the bitch were still there. Watching her. Judging her. Basically seeing her prove herself wrong of being 'anything but nice', "that is for the impeccable service you offered me in your store today. Think of it as payment and a tip"

The store owner fumbled out a reply, "A mighty _generous_ tip. Are you _sure_ it's ok? You did give me _gold_ after all"

"It's fine, It's fine; I have hundreds of these", as soon as Tay said those words she immediately regretted it. Out of the peripheral of her vision she saw Nami get Berri signs for eyes.

"So please, _I beg of you_, just keep the gold", she rushed, not liking the fact that Straw Hat was looking at her like she was the coolest thing ever, how the ginger was looking at her like she was made of gold herself.

After the shop owner walked away, gold still in his hand, Straw Hat was right in front of her face with his stupid grin, "it seems like you are a nice person, I don't know why you said you weren't", he said through his smile. Tay frowned at that.

"Ok, ok. I have my moments", she crossed her arms under her breast, glaring up at him, "but I promise you, they are few and far between"

"That's ok", he said, "but now you have to join my crew!"

Tay just looked at him blankly for a moment, before giving her answer.

"No", she said bluntly, then proceed to walk around him and continue on her way. But then there he was in front of her. He was walking backwards so he could still look at Tay while he talked. He was slightly frowning.

"But don't you want to go on an adventure?", Straw Hat asked, wide, toothy grin returning to his face, "come on, it'll be fun! My crew has really cool adventures, and I'm sure you'll like it on the-"

He was shut up by one of Tay's fingers on his lips. Her tolerance for this fool had officially run out. She was actually surprised at how long she kept her cool; she is very short tempered.

"First of all Straw Hat", Tay started in a demanding tone, walking forward with her finger still on his lips, forcing him to walk backwards, "I don't _want_ to join your crew. Secondly, what position would I even have on your ship, huh? Did you even _stop_ to _think_ about that?", her voice was steadily rising to a shout, "and lastly, the most important reason I will not join your crew; I am heading towards the _beginning_ of the Grand Line. The opposite direction you are heading. I'm trying to head back to my home sea, and sailing with you will in _no_ way help me accomplish that. Do you have any idea how _hard_ it is to find a ship going to the beginning of the Grand Line? Very difficult. I have to wait for a pirate crew who has given up and is returning to their own home sea to dock at the island I am currently on to get a ride. I have been on this fucking island for _three months_ waiting for a ship to take me closer to the beginning, and I finally found one. I am not going to change my plans just because you think it will be 'cool' to have a Logia on your crew"

Tay was angrily bareing her teeth as she shoved past the idiot. But he would not let up, "but", he began with a pout evident in his voice, still trying to get her on his side, only to be silenced by a fist in his face.

"LUFFY!", Nami gasped, hands covering her mouth. The whole street had hushed and turned to watch. He went down hard, hitting the ground with her fist still in his face. His face caved around her fist, but did not break due to being made of rubber. Her arm was black, from her fist to her elbow. Tay then lifted up her fist and shook her hand out once, her arm returning to its natural color, giving the man she now knew as Luffy a murderous glare. Blood was coming out of his nose, dripping down his face. She then lifted up her foot, exposing the spikes on the bottom of her boot, and positioned her foot right above his stomach.

"And why would I join someone who is clearly _playing captain_", Luffy's face contorted in anger at that statement, but only for a moment. Her foot slammed down on his stomach, successfully stomping the breath out of him.

Tay then lifted up her foot, turned, and walked away, not giving the two a second glance. Nami ran up to Luffy's side and looked at his stomach, scared at what she might see.

But there were only pin pricks dotting his flesh, skin barely broken.

She had changed her mind at the last second.

Luffy sat up, hand holding his stomach while gasping for air, still mad about the _playing captain_ comment. Both Luffy and Nami looked up, wondering what made her not skewer him, but she was gone.

She vanished.

* * *

Tay stepped of the shadow of a building in an alleyway three streets away. She was currently not only furious at Straw Hat, but at herself too. Why hadn't she pierced him like she had originally intended? Has she really gotten soft over the years she's spent on her own? And how she hated running away from her problems. But she just really didn't want to deal with that idiot anymore then she already has.

She lifted up her hand and one of the peaches she stole earlier appeared in her hand, wisps quickly dispersing. Tay pressed the fruit against her parted lips; the sublime feeling of the skin against her lips calmed her slightly. The peach was cool from being stored inside her own shadow, which is 40 degrees lower then the air temperature. The chill was beckoning her to bite into the juicy meat of the fruit.

Biting into its soft flesh, she looked around, checking to make sure no one saw her appear out of seemingly no where. The coast was clear. She swallowed and licked where she just bit into the peach, taking any stray juices away with her tounge. She then proceeded to walk out of the alley, away from the comfort the shade brought, and into the glare of the light.

* * *

Chopper was currently walking around in his Walk Point, looking for a shop that sells medicinal herbs. He got so excited yesterday at the book shop he forgot why he went shopping in the first place. Robin was able to convince Nami to hand over the remaining berri they had, telling her that if someone got hurt and Chopper couldn't treat them because of lack of ingedients, it would be on her for not giving him any money. While she reluctantly agreed, she was not happy about it, and followed Luffy off the ship. She was going with him to make sure he didn't get into any trouble while looking for the girl at the bar everyone now knew as Tay; Nami had told them.

He hasn't told anybody, but Chopper was terrified of the girl. In laymen's terms, he could smell the emotions of others. And last night at the bar he could smell anger and a mass of killing intent coming from Tay, so potent it he could taste it. He couldn't remember when he had smelled anger so strong before, and it was because of this Chopper hoped she wouldn't join the crew; he knew he wouldn't feel safe with her on board.

And then he smelled it; the same boiling rage from the night before. Only this was more potent then at the bar. He looked around frantically, looking for the blond female. He quickly spotted her ahead in the distance, walking towards him. She was angrily glaring at what looked like a peach pit. Chopper was very glad that she wasn't paying attention, she definitely would recognize him from the bar, that is if she could remember everything from last night. Zoro did say she seemed pretty out of it and might not remember who was on the crew.

He really wished he asked someone to come with him.

She was getting closer, and was still giving the peach pit a death glare. He noticed her anger was diminishing, but not by much. At this rate she would walk right past without noticing him. But then Chopper did something that caught her attention.

He tripped.

His front hoof hit a pebble, causing him to fall forward face first and his log limbs to tangle. Crying out, he transformed into his Brain Point to catch himself.

Chopper could practically feel Tay's eyes boring into his furry form, and he could hear her walking over towards him; the scent of peaches and rosemary growing stronger as she got closer.

"Are you ok?", he heard her ask. He could smell no anger coming from the figure above. He looked up to she her kneeling infront of him, arms crossed over her knees. The peach pit grasped in one of her hands.

Chopper quickly stood up, backing away half a step.

"Uh, y-yeah, I-I'm ok", he stuttered out, scared that the suffocating rage will radiate from her again. Tay cocked her head slightly to one side.

"What type of Zoan are you? Some species of deer?", she asked him, curiosity laced within her words. Chopper blinked once and looked into her eyes. They held no malice, and he still smelled no anger from her.

"I-I'm a reindeer that ate the Human-Human Fruit", he answered, and her response surprised him.

"That's amazing", she said, sitting down and crossing her legs, "the fruit seems to of altered your genetic structure and made you hypoallergenic"

"Hypoallergenic?"

"Yep. When humans consumes a Zoan fruit, their animal form's dander and hair don't bother people with allergies because they were originally human to begin with. But it seems to be the opposite with you; you consumed a fruit that not only made you able to speak our language, but made your fur and dander gain hypoallergenic tendencies"

While he found this fascinating, he looked at her in confusion.

"But, how would you of known I was hypoallergenic in the first place? Unless, you're allergic to normal animals", Chopper stated, coming to a realization.

"Bingo", Tay replied, "I'm allergic to anything with fur. When you tripped, you transformed, which led to my conclusion that you weren't a normal animal, but a Zoan. But I thought you were a human who ate a Zoan fruit, so I thought the reindeer I saw was their full animal form and the form you're in now was the half animal form. But I wasn't 100 percent positive, and I was curious, so I decided to ask. I wouldn't of approached you if you were a normal animal"

That explained to Chopper why she had even bothered to walk over here.

She stood back up, "sorry for stopping you. Continue on your way", she started to walk away from Chopper in the direction she was originally heading.

He looked back at her, thinking; maybe he had judged her to soon. What if he was able to become friends with her? Luffy obviously hasn't seen her yet. If he had, Chopper was sure she would already be on the ship. She seemed much nicer then how she appeared last night, and if Chopper became friends with her, there would be a higher chance of her wanting to join the crew. But what could he say that would even make her want to speak with him again? She seems intelligent; maybe if he smoothly let it drop that he was a doctor she would want to talk more.

"Um, excuse me", he said, catching up to her, walking by her side. She kept walking but looked down at him. Chopper's courage was starting to faultier under her unwavering gaze. He took a deep breath, "uh, I'm going to a medicinal herb shop, and, um, I know I will need help getting ingredients from higher shelves. And, uh...", his voice failed him. He was lying to her; in his Heavy Point he was taller then her. He would be able to reach the shelves just fine.

Tay's eyes were narrowed, as if trying to distinguish whether he was telling the truth or not. Chopper was scared; what if she saw through him? He hoped his fear was visible and was masking how uncomfortable he was lying to her. He really didn't want to smell that rage again.

"...And you want me to get the ingredients that are on the higher shelves down for you", she stated bluntly. Chopper held his breath and nodded his head. She turned her head skyward, hand shadowing her eyes from the sun. He believed that she was estimating the time based on the sun's position in the sky.

"Sure", she sighed, looking back down at him, "I've got plenty of time to spare"

Chopper released the breath he had been holding.

"Do you even know where the medical shop is?", she asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. His shoulders slumped; he had no idea. He has been walking around for awhile now and still hasn't found it. He shook his head no. Tay then pointed to the left, at an alleyway, "it's one street over. We can get there faster by going through there"

The alleyway was dark from the shadows cast by the sun, but Chopper could see the other street through it. Tay started walking towards it and he followed her wordlessly.

Chopper noticed that as soon as they entered the shadows, some unseen tension left her shoulders. He didn't know why he didn't notice it before. Right as they were back into the street the tension returned, her grip slightly tightened around the peach pit. He wondered why.

"Why are you looking for medicinal herbs?", She asked him, still looking ahead. Chopper beamed; now was his chance to reel her in.

"I'm the doctor for my crew. I need to restock my supplies for our journey"

She turned to look down at him, surprise evident in her voice, "Really? You must be quite skilled to be taken in by pirates. How long have you been studying medicine?"

"Years and years", Chopper stated proudly, doing a little happy jig at being called a skilled doctor. He was very proud of his knowledge on medicine.

They chatted a little about his medical experience until they arrived at the medical shop. As soon as Chopper walked in he could feel himself relax. The smell of dried herbs calmed him. The shop was full of all kinds of dried and powdered herbs; shelves were stacked all the way up to the ceiling. The shelves were stacked pretty close together too. He was glad he worked up the courage to ask Tay to come with him; he never would of been able to fit between the shelves in his Heavy Point.

Tay entered behind him, giving the place a quick once over. She then stepped behind him and told him to tell her when there was an ingredient he couldn't reach.

Chopper couldn't smell any anger or annoyance coming off of her, so he happily started going through the shelves, looking at the tiny bottles of ingredients.

About 30 minutes have gone by, and Chopper was very happy he had found almost everything that was on his mental checklist. Tay has been a big help. She would occasionally ask him what a certain ingredient was for, impressed with his knowledge of the herbs, and would get the tiny bottles off of the higher shelves without complaint. His backpack was packed full of all the medicinal herbs he was going to buy. It was much funner then the last time he had to restock: he went with Sanji. He would complain that Chopper was taking too long, and that he had to hurry back to the ship to start dinner for Nami and Robin.

All Chopper needed left was dried salvia. He was looking high and low for a label on a shelf that said salvia was there. And then he spotted it. It was up on a shelf near the ceiling, at least 6 and a half feet off the ground. He wasn't sure Tay would be able to reach it, but he hoped she could at least try.

"Tay", he began, looking at the girl next to her. They had exchanged names after they had entered the medical shop; it was much easier asking for her to grab stuff for him when he could ask her by name. Though he knew it already, he didn't want to rouse suspicion by calling her by her name when she hadn't given it to him.

"Yeah Chopper?", she asked. Her own arms were full of little jars that couldn't be stuffed into his backpack. He had no idea where the peach pit she was carrying before went.

"Do you think you can try reaching for a bottle way up there? It's labled 'salvia'", She looked up and after a moment spotted the bottles. She then looked at the bottles she was carrying in her arms. Before Chopper could offer to hold them for her, they all vanished in what looked like wisps of smoke. His gasp of surprise was ignored, and Tay stood on the tips on her feet, arm stretched above her. The tips of her fingers brushed the bottom of the shelf that the salvia was on. To Chopper's astonishment, he saw what looked like spikes coming out of the bottom of her boots. And some of the spikes looked like they were sinking into the floor beneath her.

After a few seconds of futile attempts to reach the shelf, Tay stood back down, feet flat on the floor. She had a thoughtful look on her face for half a second before she turned to Chopper.

"I'm going to pick you up and have you stand on my head, ok?", she asked. Before Chopper could say a word, she picked him up by his hips and lifted him over her head. Her grip on his hips was tight, so he knew that even if he lost his footing on her head he wouldn't fall.

He stood on the tips of his hooves, slightly messing up the top of her hair, and reached for the tiny bottle.

"I got it!", Chopper exclaimed when he was able to grasp the bottle. She then gently put him back on the ground. He smiled up at her, then noticed that the top of her hair was all messed up from his hooves. He pointed it out to her and her eyes widened ever so slightly, hand going towards the top of her head, feeling the out of place hairs brush against her palm.

He smelled anger spike dramatically from her, but it quickly subsided.

She took her hair tie out and started to brush out her hair with her fingers; first she ran them through her long bangs, then the rest of her hair. Chopper thought she looked older with her hair down. After she brushed out her hair she put it back into the low ponytail it was in before, her bangs free and hanging on either side of her face. With her hair tied back she looked at least 3 years younger then she most likely was.

"Are you ready to pay for the bottles?", she asked him.

"Um", he was slightly put off by the spike of anger she just emmited, "yeah", they then proceeded to a counter near the front of the store. Sitting behind it was a little old woman with horn rimmed glasses. When she noticed Chopper and Tay approaching she gave a kind smile.

"May I help you two?", she asked, kind smile still on her face. Chopper got the impression that this woman was a nice lady, but Tay was examining her through narrowed eyes. He got the sense that she did not like the woman.

"We would like to purchase all of these", he told her, carefully emptying his backpack. Then he watched in amazement as Tay moved her arm over the counter, the bottles she made disappear earlier when she tried to reach the salvia appeared. From what he saw, it looked like the bottles appeared only where her shadow touched the counter.

The old womans eyes brightened at seeing all of the bottles filled with dried and powdered herbs layed out in front of her. She quickly scanned the bottles and calculated the cost in her head.

"That will be 7 thousand Berri dearies", the old woman smiled wider. Chopper slumped at that number; Nami had only given him 4 thousand Berri. He had gotten so excited at seeing such a vast array of medicinal herbs he had forgotten about his budget.

"Um...I only have 4 thousand-", Chopper meekly started to say, but his voice stopped when he saw the old lady's smile rapidly turn into a frown, eyes glaring holes in his direction.

"Really?", the old lady asked, giving him a discussed look, the sweet voice she had before was gone. He could smell how annoyed and angry the woman was, "well, then I guess I'll have to take 3 thousand worth of herbs away from your total"

Her stubby arms reached out and divided the mass of bottles; one pile totaling 3 thousand, the other 4 thousand.

Chopper had no idea how to react at this seemingly random change in personality the old lady was showing.

And then he felt, no, he _tasted_ the anger rolling off of the blond standing next to him.

"Look here you old hag", Tay began, malice coating her words, "just because the fuzzball doesn't have enough money doesn't give you permission to act like a little bitch and throw a fit", she was leaning over the counter giving the old woman a glare that could melt steel, her arms supporting her weight on the counter. The woman has shrunk back under Tay's murderous gaze, "now you are going to pack up all of these little bottles into bags while I leave the money on the counter, and _don't_ you _dare_ break any of them, got it? Or I will burn this fire hazard you call a shop to the ground"

The old woman quickly got out two bags and began putting the bottles in them, while Tay slammed her hand on the counter, leaving 7 thousand Berri bills behind.

Chopper could smell the anger on Tay and the fear on the old lady. Chopper couldn't see most of the glare from the angle he was at, but from what he saw he knew it was fierce.

After the two bags were packed, Tay swiftly grabbed them and headed for the exit without a word, Chopper close on her heels.

After they left the store, Chopper noticed that Tay's anger had been reduced to a simmer. Her eyes turned to him after a dozen seconds. Chopper felt like she _knew_ her anger spikes scared him. And that peach pit had reappeared in her fist again.

"You can smell the chemical reactions in my brain that produce anger, don't you?"

He looked up at her, surprised that she knew. But considering that the nature of most of the conversations they have had have been intellectual, he should of known she would know that most animals have this skill.

"I'm not going to hurt you; you're too cute and you've done nothing wrong. So stop shaking like a leaf"

Chopper then noticed that he was indeed shaking. He took a deep breath and tried to still his trembling body. Tay stopped walking and put down the bags.

"It's getting late", it was around four pm, hardly what Chopper would consider late, "I have things to buy for my departure, and I have to sneak on to my ride before it leaves"

Wait, where was she going? What about Luffy talking her into joining the crew?

"While it was nice talking to someone I didn't want to kill after a few minutes, I'm afraid that we have to part ways here", she pat the top of his hat twice, then proceeded to walk away.

"Uh, Tay, wait!", Chopper picked up the two bags Tay had put down and ran up to her, "where are you going?"

She turned to look at him, not slowing down her pace, "I'm heading towards the beginning of the Grand Line; I'm trying to return to my home sea"

"And why is that?", Chopper asked, realizing almost immediately what a personal thing he was asking. But he didn't smell anger from her at the question. No:

He smelt grief.

"Because", Tay answered softly, sadness perfectly masked in a monotone voice, "because I can"

Chopper stopped walking and just watched her go on ahead, wondering what she meant.

* * *

It was around seven pm judging from the sun's low position in the sky; the blanket of stars was just beginning to tuck in the sun.

Tay was currently walking the coast of the island, trying to find the pirate ship that was going to be heading in the direction she wanted to go.

She was also throwing the peach pit up in the air and catching it with one hand; she has been saving the pit incase she came across that straw hat wearing fool again. She was going to shove it down his throat if he came running to her to ask if she wanted to join his crew again. He just really rubbed her the wrong way; she had little to no patience for stupid people.

The pirate ship she was looking for was brown and white, had mediocre repair jobs done to it, and had a horned white mammal as a figure head.

After walking about a mile and a half she came across a ship. The masts were tied up and the wind wasn't blowing, so the pirate flag stationed above the crows nest was limp.

It was a ship on the smaller side, painted white and brown. The figure head looked kind of like a ram. And there were plenty of repairs that looked like anyone but a shipwright made them.

This had to be the ship she was looking for.

It looked like there wasn't anyone currently on board, either that or they were all inside the galley eating. Which was just fine with Tay. It's not like they would notice her anyways.

Before she boarded the ship, she threw the peach pit into the water. Guess she wouldn't be needing this after all.

She walked onto the ship with ease, feeling oddly tired. She was never tired this early. Tay raised her arms and stretched, feeling her back pleasantly pop. Maybe she would retire early for the night. No noise was coming from the ship, so the crew must be out.

Without a second thought, she then sunk into her own shadow, disappearing, her shadow fading away, leaving no trace that it was ever there.

What she didn't know was that a few more miles down the coast there was another pirate ship, with a white bull for a figure head.

And then a light gale blew open the pirate flag on the ship with the ram figure head, the flag showing off its colors.

It showed a Jolly Roger wearing a straw hat.

The ship she had boarded was the Going Merry, the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates.


End file.
